Cake-plate.



E. H. MARSH.

CAKE PLATE.

APPLICATION FJLED MAR. 31. m5.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

umnmmu I y I WITNESSES ATTORN E! ra n ELIZABETH HENDERSON 'MARSI-I, 01E REEDVILLE, VIRGINIA.

CAKE-PLATE.

mosses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

Application filed March 31, 1915. Serial No. 18,361.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIZABETH H. MARS a citizen of the United States, residingat Reedville, in the county of Northumberland and State of Virginia, have invented anew and useful Cake-Plate, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to cake plates, and its object is to provide a cake plate .which may be readily engaged by the human hand and thereby supported while a cake or a part of a cake rests upon the plate, to facilitate certain operations in the production of the cake.

The invention comprises a fiat or plane plate having legs or feet on one face suitably spaced apart to provide a support for the plate and of a height to elevate the plate sufficiently to permit the introduction of the human hand beneath the plate so that the whole may be lifted and securely supported upon the hand during such operations as the building up of .a layer cake or the application of icing or other covering to a cake lodged on the plate.

In accordance with the present invention, the supporting feet for the plate, which may be integral therewith, are so spaced that the hand in a more orless contracted condition may be readily introduced beneath the plate between two adjacent feet. Then on spread- A ing the hand to support the plate against possible tipping, the spread of the hand is greater than the distance separating the two feet between which the hand was introduced under the plate, so that any liability of the plate slipping from the hand is prevented by the engagement of the two feet under consideration with the hand.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification with the understanding, however, that while the drawing shows practical forms of the invention, the latter is not limited to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a round plate as seen from beneath; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the plate of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of theplate of Fig. 1 indicating the plate as supported upon a human hand; and Fig. l is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a plate of rectangular outline.

Referring to the drawings, there is'shown in Fig. 1 a plate 1, which may be considered as formed of any suitable material such as metal or earthenware customarily employed in the manufacture of plates. The plate 1 is formed with plane upper face2 and a plane lower face 3, the expressions of position being used with reference to the plate when supported upon a table or shelf or the like.

Formed on the bottom face 3 of the plate are feet 4: of short height. These feet, which are preferably formed integral with the plate, but which may be separately formed and attached thereto, project from the lower face of the plate for only a suflicient distance to permit the introduction of the human hand beneath the plate when the latter is rested upon a table or'other support. By this arrangement the plate rests in relatively close relation to the table or other support, and hence the plate is very stable, because its center of gravity is close to the supporting table.

In the drawings four such feet are shown,

but it will be understood that three feet may be employed. The feet 4 are so spaced apart that the distance of separation of two adj acent feet is such as to permit the introduction of the human hand beneaththe plate while the hand is in the contracted condition. The space between two adjacent feet is, however, less than the spread of the hand when in the extended condition as sumed after the hand is placed beneath the plate and opened out to provide a broad and extended support for the plate. In Fig. 3 the hand is indicated at 5 in dotted lines and is shown in the extended condition,

whereby it is seen that the distance separating the two feet 1 between which the hand was introduced beneath the plate is less than the breadth of the hand in the spread condition. I

In Fig. 4 is shown a plate 1 of rectangular outline having a plane upper surface 2 and a plane lower surface 3 with feet P. Otherwise the plate is the same, and performs the same function, as the plate 1 of Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

The plate is intended especially for holding a cake or successive layers of cake during certain operations performed in the completion of the cake. In the case of a, layer cake, a layer may be placed upon the plate and while the latter is supported by the hand the filling may be applied to the layer, after which a second layer is placed upon the filling and more filling applied, and so on until the cake is finished. If it be de sired to add a coating of frosting to the finished layer cake or to another kind of cake, the plate with the cake thereon is readil supported in the manner already descri ed, and when supported upon the hand the application of frosting is greatly facilitated. Furthermore, the plate is particularly valuable in carrying a cake from place to place, since the hand when in underriding relation to the plate 1 enables a person to support the plate, for there is no danger whatever of disturbing the cake, even though the plate be perfectly plane on the top. An ordinary plate with a raised margin presents certain difiiculties when it is desired to remove the cake and also prorides an uncertain support in that the plate must be tipped unhandily and lifted to insert the hand beneath it. Moreover, the usual circular supporting bead found on the bottoms of most plates interferes more or less with properly supporting the plate upon the spread hand. The plate is also useful for supporting any article where it is desirable to move the plate with the article thereon from one place to another for the level position of the plate need not be disturbed at all for the introduction of the hand beneath the plate to the desired extent and the plate with its contents may be se curely held and supported upon the spread hand and removed to some other place and there deposited without the necessity of grasping the edges of the plate or tipping the plate. In the case of a cake or other such article which may be approximately as large as the plate, the grasping of the plate at the edges is out of the question with an ordinary plate, so that it would be an extremely difficult matter to lift and transport a plate such as illustrated in the drawings in the absence of the feet.

An ordinary plate with a raised margin presents certain difiiculties when it is desired to remove the cake, and also provides an uncertain support in that the plate must be tipped unhandily and lifted to insert the hand beneath the plate. Furthermore, the cake will conform to the shape of an ordinary plate, thus sinking in at the center, which causes the filling when applied to run toward the center, and in this way the finished cake has an ugly shape. The present invention obviates these and other vdifliculties.

What is claimed is:

A device for the purpose described, comprising a solid plate having a smooth, plane upper surface free from protuberances and depressions, said plate having feet projec ing from its lower surface and each of a height to elevate the lower surface from a support for a distance sulficient to admit the human hand flatwise beneath the plate when so supported, and said feet being located at the outer edge portions of the plate and being spaced apart a distance sufficient to permit the introduction of the laterally contracted human hand between them but to prevent the withdrawal of the hand when laterally spread.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ELIZABETH HENDERSON MARSH. Witnesses OT Is W. DOUGLAS, HOWARD MARSH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the fGommissioner of Patenta Washington, D. C. 

